Sewer cleanout implement



May 5, 1953 w. F. ANDERSON 2,637,058

SEWER CLEANOUT IMPLEMENT Filed Oct. 11 1949 INVENTOR.

5 I MAL/AM A' flwmsau Patented May 5, 1953 UNITED STATES .ATENT OFFICE 3 Claims. 1

This invention relates to and. has for an object the provision of an improved. drain pipe cleaner which is readily insertible in drain pipes leading from sinks, basins, etc., to sewers for the disposal or" waste and adapted to simplify and expedite the dispersal of stoppages in drain pipes;

I-lerctofore, various and sundry types of apparatus have been employed for the purposes stated, the most usual of which is a so-called snake which. comprises a flexible wire, cable or tube provided with a head adapted to pierce an accumulated mass; of waste material in a drain pipe which reduces or completely closes the passage in a pipe against the outflow of waste material.

In some instances water may be forced through the snake, if it is of tubular form, for loosening the mass and rendering the cleanout operation more effective. Inv most. cases, however, the head of the snake, regardless of its form, fails to completely dislodge. accumulated matter on the walls of a drain and the opening made thereby is too small and of such a temporary character that it is not entirely satisfactory, and its use in an emergency is merely passing and occasions: too frequent reuse to be worth while.

,It is an object of this invention, therefore, to provide on a conventional or special type of flexible drain pipe oleaner either in addition. to

or independently of the usual. cleanout head, a

wall scraper, preferably of conical form and having a circular scraping leading edge, adjustably held on. the flexible member and preferably trailing the head? or leading end of the implement. Such an arrangement renders the scraper self adaptable to portions of the drain pipe wall for dislodging matter therefrom while the head or leading end of the flexible member bores through any accumulated mass or at least partly dislodges matter from the drain pipe wall at different points from and ahead of the scraper. Rotation of the implement as it is moved through a straight section of pipe or around bend or into branches facilitates the dislodgement of the mattor and its expulsion to a sewer, and when a tubular flexible member is employed the force of a stream of water therethrough effects more rapid dislodgment and expulsion of the matter.

I have shown a preferred form of cleanout apparatus embodying my invention in the accompanying drawing in which:

Fig. 1 is a sectional view of a drain pipe including an elbow section through which a cleanout unit embodying my improvements is extended for use;

Fig. 2v is; an external view of the forward Portion of. a cleanout unit; and

Fig, 3 is a. perspective view of a/ special typ of scraper for application to. a conventional or special type of flexible member.

The. complete unity as shown in preferred form for use. includes. an elongated: flexible,v yet surficientIy stifi metallic member A, which. is usually, referred to. as a snake and; may be formed as shown, of. a. hollow helically wound member A, and provided with an enlarged separately formed and spirally wound wire head. A rigidly secured to thelleading end of member A.

In the device shown, the head A is of. generally oval form with its trailing end 2 more closely woundv and. overlying the leading end portion of member. A while its leading end coils are. ofsubstantially reduced diameter and its endmost coil. 3 is sufilcientlyseparated from the forced into and rotated in the pipe serves to bare. a passage through which water, liquid, waste matter. or any suitable solvent or detergent may be forced for completely cleaning thepipe. However, certainsewage elements are out readily or usually dislodged Irom. the, Wall of the Pipe by employment-orithe membersv A. andv A alone, and a, resultant cleanout: operation may be only temporary, and the passage opened by the. unit may too readily clogvv and occasion a subsequent cleaning.

Hence in order to overcome the disadvantage mentioned, I provide a scraper B which is adjustable lengthwise or" the member A, and is either threaded onto member A or slidable thereon, but in all events is held in a desired po-- sition as by means of a set screw B or otherwise. The preferred position of scraper B is slightly rearwardly of head A but sufficiently so that the unit can readily accommodate itself to bend in a drain pipe of differing radius.

Scraper B is of substantially conical crosssection with its base portion forwardly disposed and of concave form to provide a scraping edge 4, and having an axial base 5, threaded or not as the case may be but closely fitting the periphcry of member A.

Preferably scraper B has a major diameter at its edge 4 of substantially less than the internal diameter of a drain pipe in which it is adapted for use and of such diameter than it may be readily accommodated to and freely operative in pipe P.

Referring to Fig. 1, it will be seen that the unit A-B is shown in position for use within a drain pipe including a horizontal section P leading from or connected with a source of waste, an elbow section P connected therewith and a vertical section P2 leading to a sewer lateral. Usually pipe P is capped at an external or accessible point on a building so that by removal of the cap (not shown) a suitable cleanout implement may be inserted through the entrance section P into sections P and P2.

It will thus be observed that as the head A finds a path through the elbow sect-ion P where a drain pipe is most likely to be clo ged, it will hug the inner surface of the pipe wall and as member A is rotated at a point externally of section P the head will rotatably traverse the wall, and if the member A is both forced inwardly and rotated, the head A will pursue a more or less spiral path over the pipe wall which tends to break particles and masses loose and thereby provide at least a partial but continuous passage through the accumulated mass. The trailing scraper B during movement of the member A, will scrape on adhering particles from the pipe wall and after the fashion of a counterboring tool or reamer, will dislodge tenacious particles of mattenand thereby enlarge the pilot opening or passage made by head A and to an extent that with or Without water or other liquid or detergent being forced through the drain, substantially all of the attached particles will be removed from the pipe and a clear passage for Waste matter afforded;

This invention, therefore, removes the necessity for reliance upon a single leading head and by the provision of the trailing scraper B, lends additional assurance of completely removing obstructions from a drain pipe and opening a normal passage therethrough for the continuous flow in full volume of sewage from a point of origin to a point of final disposition.

I claim:

1. A cleanout implement for drain pipes comprising: an elongated flexible body for insertion in a pipe and having a head on its leading end for piercing a mass of matter which reduces the effective area of a pipe, and a scraper on said flexible member at a position rearwardly of said head so as to follow said head as the flexible member is extended into a drain pipe, said scraper having a circular cutting edge or substantially less diameter than the drain pipe in which it is used, so that upon rotation of the flexible memher the head and the scraper will be correspondingly rotated at diiierent positions in the drain pipe for detaching particles of matter and opening a normal passage through which waste matter may be expelled to a sewer.

2. A cleanout implement for drain pipes comprising: an elongated flexible body for insertion in a pipe and having a head on its leading end for piercing a mass of matter which reduces the effective area of a pipe, and a scraper on said flexible member at a position rearwardly of said head so as to follow said head as the flexible .member is extended into a drain pipe, said scraper being substantially of conical form and having a concave leading end with a surrounding cutting edge of substantially less diameter than the interior of a drain pipe in which it is used, in a cleanout operation.

3. A cleanout implement for drain pipes comprising: an elongated flexible body for insertion in a pipe and having a head on its leading end for piercing a mass of matter which reduces the eiiective area of a pipe, and a scraper on said flexible member at a position rearwardly of said head so as to follow said head as the flexible member is extended into a drain pipe, said scraper being substantially of conical form and having a concave leading end with a surrounding cutting edge of substantially less diameter than the interior of a drain pipe in which it is used, in a cleanout operation, and means for adjustably securing said scraper on said flexible member, and at such a distance from the head thereof that the head and scraper will engage and clean progressively difierent areas of the internal surface of the pipe as the cleaning unit is bodily moved in the pipe.

WILLIAM F. ANDERSON. 

